Heater duct



ug- 13, 1946 J. Ll-:DWINKA ET AL HEATER DUCT Filed Sept. 4v, 1943 A TTORNE Y Patented Aug. 13, 1946 HEATER DUCT Joseph Leawinka, Philadelphia,

and George Trautvetter, `enkintown, Pa., assignors to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 4, 1943, Serial No. 501,340

2 Claims. l

The invention relates to a heater duct especially for vehicles and more particularly for passenger rail cars.

More specically, the invention relates to improvements in the type of heater duct comprising a housing arranged along the corner of the oor and a vertical wall of the room to be heated, which housing contains the heater elements such as a steam or hot Water radiator, though other types of heater, for instance electric heaters, may be used in connection with the invention.

Among the objects of the invention are simplicity of construction, easy accessibility, eflicient heating and, above all, comfort for the occupants by eliminating overheated zones with which the occupants have to or may come in contact,

The above and other objects are achieved by a heater duct of the indicated type having along the vertical wall a shallow upward extension provided near its upper margin with openings communicating with the interior of the room, the extension acting like a chimney which promotes the circulation of air across the radiator and counteracts the accumulation of hot air under the top of the main body of the duct. This lastnamed feature considerably improves the comfort of rail car passengers whose feet or lower leg portions were often overheated by the overheated top portion of the hitherto customary heater duct.

The features of the invention, its objects and advantages will be more fully understood from the embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing and described in the following:

The drawing is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower longitudinal margin of the interior of a passenger rail car body and of a heater with heater duct or housing.

I designates the side sill of the car body. The upper arm 2 of sill I carries the iioor 3 and, partly by means of a Z-section rail 4, the horizontal arm 5 of an angle section panel strip. The second arm 6 of said last-named strip extends upwardly and is continued by a corrugated panel 6. The arm 6 and panel 6 are attached to vertical posts 'I (one only is shown) which have their lower ends anchored to the sill I. At certain intervals along the edge of the floor, frames 8 are arranged which support a heating-pipe 9 with its heat exchange fins I0 by means of an insulating layer and a clip II for each frame. I2 is the return pipe for the heating medium. An angle section strip I3 has one arm secured to the panel arm 6; the other arm of this strip is provided with holes I3 near the apex of the angle and servesY for the attachment of the upper part of the 2 frames 8 at any desired locations along its longitudinal extent. The cold and hot water pipes I4, I5 are attached to the panel arm 6.

A panel strip I 6 and the ilange along themargin of the horizontal arm I'I of another generally angle-section panel strip are secured by screws I8 to said frames 8. The other arm I9 of the lastmentioned panel strip extends upwardly and has its upper margin secured by screws 20 to the panel 6 so that its main body is held at a short distance from the panel 6.

Panel I6 is provided with a row of vertical slots 2l and has its lower margin spaced from the oor so that cool air may enter at the bottom and leave, alfterzhlaving passed the radiator 9, I0, through the s o s The arm I9 is provided near its upper margin with another set of slots or louvres 22 which serve together with the space 23 between arm I9 and panels 6, 6' for the discharge of hot air which would otherwise accumulate beneath the arm I'I. The space 23 acts like a chimney.

The provision of the space 23 and the louvres 22 prevents uncomfortable overheating of the top I'I and it insures also a more uniform distribution of the heated air which is no more, as in the customary constructions, exclusively discharged at one level, namely, the openings 2 I, but part of which is now discharged at a higher level and closer to the Wall through the louvres 22.

The upper margin of arm I9 serves as a kickboard and for holding the lower margin of a trim panel 24,

The illustrated embodiment is, of course, liable to many modifications without departing from the invention as defined by the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A heating installation for a compartment having a floor and a vertical side wall meeting in a corner, comprising in combination, a housing in the compartment corner, the housing having an imperforate horizontal wall spaced above the floor, a vertical wall at a relatively great distance from the compartment side wall joining and extending down from the outer edge of the horizontal Wall to a point near but spaced from the floor, said housing side wall having heat outlet openings near the top only, a second vertical wall at a relatively small distance from said compartment side wall joining and extending up from the inner edge of the horizontal Wall to a height along the compartment side Wall well above the horizontal Wall and there being closed against the compartment side wall, said second vertical housing wall having heat outlet openings near the top only,

and a heating element beneath said horizontal Wall, the arrangement being such that cool air from the compartment enters beneath the first vertical housing wall, is heated by said heating element and the heated air is restricted against upward movement by said horizontal wall, some escaping through the top openings of the first vertical housing wall and some being drawn in stack fashion up the narrow space between the second vertical housing wall and the compartment wall and escaping through the top openings in the secondverticalhousingwall.

2. A heating installation for a compartment having a iioor and a vertical side wall meeting in a corner, comprising in combination, a housing in the compartment corner, the housing having an imperforate horizontal wall spaced above the floor, a vertical wall at a'relatively great distance from the compartment side wall joining and extending down from the outer edge of the horizontal wall to a point near but spaced from the floor, said housing side wall having heat outlet openings near the top only, a second vertical wall at a relatively small distance from said compartment side wall joining and extending up from the inner 4 edge of the horizontal Wall to a height along the compartment side wall well above the horizontal wall and there being closed against the compartment side wall, said second vertical housing wall having heat outlet openings near the top only, and a heating element beneath said horizontal wall, the arrangement being such that cool air from the compartment enters beneath the rst vertical housing wall, is heated by said heating element, and the heated air is restricted against upward movement by said horizontal wall, some escaping through the top openings of the rst vertical Vhousing wall and some being drawn in stack fashion up the narrow space between the second vertical housing wall and the compartment Vall and escaping through the top openings in the second vertical housing Wall, said housing also including a horizontal plate with ilow restricting openings at the level 0f said first horizontal plate disposed at the bottom of the second vertical housing wall and across the space between the iirst horizontal wall and the side Wall of the compartment.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA.

GEORGE TRAUTVETIER. 

